Caster



May 21, 1929. w. F. HEROLD cAs'rER Filed Jan. 24, 192'? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Patented May 21, 1929.v l l Y i Application filed January 24, 1927. Serial No. 163,848.

The present invention relates to improve- Fig. 7 is a top plan viewthereoand ments in casters,and has for an object to ro- Fig. Sis a bottom plan view. Y vide a socket and pintle structure, in W ich Similar reference charactersindicate corpintle retaining ineansis provided at the responding parts throughout the several ligbase ot the socket, so that the latter may be ures of the drawings. ao of any ocsired size orshape, without respect Referring to the drawings, and more parto the pintle'sliape ordianieter, and further ticularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, the emin `which the retaining ineansis disposed enbodiment of the invention shown therein is4 tirely within the base innon-rotatable relaparticularly adaptedv for use with wood flir- 10 tion, and is adapted to so cooperate with the niture legs, and comprises a tubular socketv 65V pintle that it will be free of gripping conshell 10 havinga top portion 11 rovided with tact therewith during normal use of the a top pintle bearing 12 in the orm of an incastei'. In particular, it is proposed to proverted cone-shaped indenture. At its lower vide a pintle retaining member in the form end the shell is crimped, as at 13, to vform a 15 of a flat spring 'adapted for lateral expansionr shoulder against which the apertured socket 70 and contraction, so that it will occupy a very baSe14 is Secured by Hanging over the lower small space within the base, Without mateedge 0f the Shell, ,3S et 15- 'ID outwardly riallyincreasing its depth, and which may spaced relation to the shell the base is bent be connected to the base without the necessity downwardly to form an annular Wall v16, and

of providing separate securing or attaching at its Outer edge the base is provided with an 75 means. vHeretofore, fixed pintle retaining ilPiVflIClly bent flan el7l1V1llgSelItl0nS 17 spring means have been provided'in the form 111 ltS Upper edge or'drivilig into the wood of a split tubular structure extending into the legl l i socket shell, and adapted to engage beneathl The pintle retaining means consists of a a head or enlargement on the pintle, but these fiat spring ring 18 of sheet metal, split at 19, so were subject to distortion, were diicult to and plovlded with pro'ecting ears or lugs 20, manufacture, and required a special size or 2,0, which are engage in diametrically opslia'pe in the shellstiucture. P058@ .Sl0tS 2l, 21, PIOYlded in the Wall` 1 6,

A further Object is to provide pintle rethe ringbeing thus retained and held against taining means inthe form ofa sheet metal relative rotation with respect tothe socket. 85

spring adapted to be economically formed by Obviously this type'of spring rlng may be 1, 'blanking and stamping operations. Y readlly Sprung or snappe into place by first Vith the above and other objects in view, COmPI'eSSlng ltf embodiments of theinvention are shown in lThe"detachable caster consists of theusual 1:

the accompanying drawings, and these emhorn 22 having a caster wheel 23 rotatably 90 ff? bodinients will be hereinafter more fully de- Cll'led theleln uR0n-an axle 24, and having a l l scribed with reference thereto, and the in- P llltle 25 Secured 111 lS lllpe'l tllSvelSepQlventio'n will be finally pointed out in the $1011, the lOWeI @11d Oft e pintle'beillg pro- Claim.' videdwithaflange26'engagingtheu persur- .v

4o In the drawings :e face of the liorn. At the upperendo the pin- 95 Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a socktlc there is provided a cone-shaped recess 27 et, according to one embodiment of the'invenadapted t0 engge'tlle top Center bearing-12 i #f tion, and showingthe caster in place therein; The plntle 1s provided at-its lower portion'l l Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the socket; with ari enlarged -dliimeter portion 28, l'Q- Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, vided Wltll all in lllllalr groove 29a f ml 3 Yefiloo* Yof a modified form of the invention; V tlleglOOVe there 1S Pl'OYlded 9' P0l`tl0ll 30, lil- Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view, taken Pellllg .flfom the. P9l`-t10n-28 t0 the uPPel along the 1in@ 4- 4 Fig 3; smaller diameter portion of the pintle. The Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view thereof, dllletel" 0f the pintle 1S Such that the upper' 1 5o taken along the line 5 5 of Fig.`3, and'show-` portion will pass freely .through the ring 105 ing the caster pintle iin place therein; ring 18, while the tapered portion 30 wi ex! l Fig. Gis a vertical lsectional view of a furpand `the ring, and as the pintlejs pressedin A A 1;

ther lmodified form of socket, according to to its full extent the ring will contract jwiththe invention, and showing the caster pintle .in the gmove29 Ain loose or. non-frietional in place therein; v relation therewith., and the caster will thus be 11o the center bearingl 'and bottoni y outwardly, as at 38 and 39, to i` f the aperture 43, the pintle VretainiA g "groove 29.

` ber A50 fornned Yfrom fiati Yfolded uponitself, a

Yheld against dropping out vof the leg. In its normal swiveling action while supporting the furniture, however', the pintle will be free ofthe ring, so that the latter williiot be nnder tension. y Y y Y r In Figs. 3 to'5 I have illustrated a modified form of construction, particularly adapted a frame member 3l formed of sheet metal bent upon itself and pressed to shape to provide a top bearing socket portion 32 having a center bearing 33 lin the forni of annidentureV aiiichedxtovether ears'llland' 35 at diametrically opposite' sides oi said top portion, and side legs i6 and 3'?, sliouldereiil ad- )acont said top portioiuand pressed to forni portions of a cylinder adapted to lit intotlie leg.l `Ati their lower ends the leo-s are flanged the adapted to bedisposed beneath the. eid or leg, and bent downwardly and inward y, at Ll0 and lll, to clampingly engage the riphery of a circularl base plate er disc This disc is centrally apertiired', as at' to receive and provide a bottom bea ring 1 j the pintle, and atv'eacli side parallel slots'il and L.t5 are 'formed and the metal between the slots is pressedupwardly relation, the ends of the pressed up poi Y, between the ends of the slots, being beve ed and in concentric and spaced relationto the aperture.. y l v yThe pintle retaining means consists 'of a sheet metal spring member 4G, in the form The caster and pint'ie 'construction ilar `to thatsliown in Fig. l', and coo tionwith the soclr'et is substantially the sa ne 4as describedVv withgr'eference to t ie first enA bodiment, the pintlehaving top' hek wit means beingjloosely vr'fengaged within the In Figs. 6to SI vhave illustrated-f D. i j n modified form, adapt-ed ttor and comprising tubular soclrct I Y 1l A ral stoclr y atop por-V d l pro vir tion 5l 'including a t' Y center the form of an: inverted cone-shaned indenture, thel longitudinal meeti for use in metal tubular legs, and coi'i'igrising v orni 'should ers opposed sides of the socket member. t the base of the socket member there is provided an annular outwardly bent shoulder 54 and o annular downwardly bent flange 55. The base member 5G, cupped up from sheet metal stoclr, is provided with an inwardly bent bottom flange 57 having a central pintle receiving aperture 58. At the upper edge of the cup there are formed spaced upwardly projecting prongs 59, and between these there are provided lug portions 60 adapted, as shown in Fig. 7, to be bent inwardly upon tlieupper surface of the shoulder 54 to secure the base to the socket member. Y

rllhe pintle retaining means is mounted on thebase member aiidvconsists of a flat sheet metal spring ring (il, split at G2, and `provided at a point ofy its outer edge with a lug 63 insertedV downwardly through a slot '761i in 'the base flange 5i', and bent'over'upon Ythe under surface to thereby secure the spring against relative rotation with respect to the of said aperturev so that the apertured lportion is in raise e neath y and having anV apertured liiither Yuse in'wood legs',-

ielljineinr gripping socket. llhe caster and pintle construction is similarI to that shown in Ilrig. l, and its cooperation with the socket is substantially the same. i f

The aperture of the spring ring is of smaller diameter than the aperture 58 ofthe base and the enlarged portion 28 of the pintle, but .is larger thanl that vof the pintle groove 29, soothat while it retains the pintle against 'dropping out, the same is free of any contact witii'the ring.

' I have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodiments of the invention, but it will be'obvious that changes may be made therein, withinthe spirit and scope thereof, asdelinedV inthe appended claim.

Having .thus described my invention, what I clai'iiiw desire to secure ent Yis Y Y In a casteig'oijftjhe like,I the'combination of a floor engaging element including a pintle having` an annularre'cess in base, and a pintle receiving element'adapted to be secured to a furniture leg or the like pintle retaining base and annular VYlaterally extending spring retaining pocket formingmeaiis surrounding said aperture, and a yone-piece split springiiiemlier disposedV in'said pocket, including fa portion securing' itY vagainst rotation therein and abutted atits upp'erside by said pocket and adapted for expansion and contraction ina plane substantially.parallel to the pla-neef thebase, saidspring member ar'ripted to' be expanded by 'sa l pintle during insertion and 'upon complete insertioiivto by Letters Pat! proximityto itsY contract into said annular recess' in `nonno' cofres of the. I l y s c .t blankprovidinglongitudinal. seams 55 atl grippi g unter-.sinned relation therein.

Signed at Bridgeport, in Vthe county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, this 18th day ,of January, 1927.'

WALTER FLL' riiiiioiin; y 

